Just Smile: Forgotten Memories
by NeoMiniTails
Summary: Giftfic for MissScorp. Raya Kean couldn't remember why she wanted to see Bruce's Goddaughter, but she knew it was very important.
1. Chapter 1

_**Giftfic for MissScorp**_

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Raya. She is owned by the magnificent Scorp._

_**Twenty Years Ago**_

"Kean-san!" The sound of a teenage girl's voice erupted through the air.

Raya looked up, tears streaming her eyes. "Miss Hino?" What was she doing here? She'd told her to get away, to go as far as possible. She needed to find safety.

The young girl ran down and pulled Raya into an embrace. "Baka!" The two sat there in a hug, both shaking with Raya looking up at the heavens, both relieved and disappointed. She didn't know what to feel, and even though she'd been called an 'idiot' in Japanese, she didn't even have the strength to make any sort of retort.

"You weren't supposed to come back for me..." Raya wasn't supposed to be living, no she hadn't been hoping to survive. "You were supposed to escape."

Rei shook her head and dug her head into her chest. "Kean-san, what would Wayne or Grayson-san do if you weren't here?"

The question shook her soul. Like an earthquake erupted, she felt her heart explode and for the first time in her twelve years of life, she cried. She couldn't explain it and for once, she didn't care for the scientific reason for why she felt that way or why these salty tears came forth. Her entire body felt weak and heavy like lead.

But hearing those words, she lost herself. Raya lost the child who'd been afraid to walk out of line, terrified of being a lost cause, believing she was lesser than everyone else around her. And losing herself had been the best thing she could ever do.

_**Present Day**_

Staring at her wristwatch, she couldn't help but find herself just a little bit annoyed. How was it possible for her fiancée and Bruce to be so late? She had given them perfect directions, even checked with MapQuest before sending the text out. And sure enough, they both agreed (in their own ways) that they'd be there for her.

_**On our way... evading suits... lol**_

Raya stared at her phone in disbelief. _He has enough time to make a quip but can't be here on time. _Apparently, they were fighting with Penguin who happened to be in Tokyo, Japan. _Even out of the country, he doesn't take vacation... sheesh..._ Of course, when she thought about it, Bruce and Dick were the exact same way.

The three were born of the same peapod. Exactly alike. Not one of them would ever acknowledge that fact. In fact, she was sure they'd all deny it - especially Dick in regards to being like his adoptive father.

_**Did you know my father and that idiot that you call your fiance had a show come out before I was born?**_

Raya smiled. Good ole Damian... how'd he find out about that show anyways? She couldn't help but wonder which one he'd found. Hopefully, he wasn't reading the fan fiction she'd seen people write and assume that it was a pilot for a show. There were some strange ones out there that'd mess with her baby boy's mind.

_**Ye-**_ before she could get the message out, a message showed up.

"_**New Text Message: Baby Imp Dami" - WTF?!**_

_Must be fanfiction! _

_**Was he really this this annoying when he was younger?**_

_**Um... wha- **_another message came before she could finish.

"_**New Text Message: Baby Imp Dami" - Holy Hell Capones! Imma use this as leverage. **_

_**Use what? **_Raya typed quickly, practically breaking the screen with the force that she pressed on the buttons to get information. She was sure that Alfred had blocked all the strange sites he could get on, but he was raised around the batfamily; she was sure that there weren't many things he couldn't get around.

She waited for a response, tapping her spoon nervously on the table. Maybe, it was time to go Fenix mode and save her little boy from his own curiosity. Like the cat, his innocence was in danger from his naivety.

Raya bit her lip and stared at the phone, holding in her breath. Nothing.

Five minutes passed and nothing. Not a message from Dick, and nothing from Damian confirming her suspicions.

_Zzsst... Zzsst... _The phone vibrated on the table and without looking, she picked it up and answered. "Damian, what the hell-"

"Kean-san, _gomen nassai_. I'll be there in just a few minutes." A female voice apologized on the other side of the line. _Miss Kean, I'm sorry... _Raya found herself mentally translating.

"Oh, it's fine," she, without thinking, responded. Who was this? Why'd she calm down immediately in hearing the voice?

"Kean-san, smile for me, please." The voice on the other side was deep like her own, a soft soprano - not quite deep enough to be an alto. Those words, however, made the person on the other side very clear. Raya hadn't spoken to the woman in so long; it was no wonder why she hadn't recognized the tone immediately.

Rei Hino. Bruce's god-daughter, a child born in the world of politics and wealth but like her, she'd chosen to become independent of her father. Raya had only seen her two or three times in her entire life, each time during the hardest times in her life. She could remember the first time she'd seen her.

It wasn't anything special about that day. It hadn't been the first time that Bruce Wayne had taken her with him on one of his international trips. It wouldn't be the first or last time that she'd wanted to disappear in the crowd of people.

But that day had always stuck out as different.

'_You must be special.' _Rei had said with a slight smile. Raya could remember thinking that she looked like she was going to cry.

But Raya hadn't said anything in response. She was used to this kind of conversation. Rich kids were taught to make friendships with those like them especially those who were even luckier than them. Nobody ever wanted to be her friend.

'_Wayne-san, he's always so sad...'_

Raya remembered being so agitated at hearing that. Here she was feeling as if her heart was in her gut, and this girl was mentioning something so stupid and obvious.

'_He smiles when he's with you.' _Rei had turned to look at her then said, 'Smile. That'll make him happy.'

'_Easy for you to say.'_

Rei nodded and stood up and walked away. _'Maybe it is.'_

"Kean-san, I'm sorry that I made you wait." The same voice from the phone could be heard from behind her. Raya turned and sighed.

" It's fine. I'm sure you had some important business to handle." Couldn't give her the traffic as an excuse. It was one of the few times where the streets were practically vacant of tourists.

"Oh..." Rei paused. Raya lifted an eyebrow, her degree in psychology and medicine immediately kicking in high gear. Rei was obviously nervous about something. "Yeah, you can say that, Kean-san." Seeing how fidgety she was, Raya looked for any signs of drug use or domestic abuse in her shoulders down to her forearms.

"You can call me, Raya... if you don't mind."

The other woman's eyes widened at what she said then smiled. "Raya-san?" She appeared to think about for moment before nodding then added, "You should call me Rei then."

Raya nodded. Still, it was strange; she was sure that Rei would insist on being more formal. "So..." _Maybe this was a bad idea... _She had been the one to plan on meeting her at the cafe, and yet now that she had her there, she didn't know what to say. She looked back at her phone and still nada. Her heart dropped... this was the reason why she wanted Dick to be there.

"Are you waiting for a response?"

"Uh, yea, sorry.."

"From a man?"

Raya nodded. _That's right, she hates men. _That was what made the second time important. That time, Bruce had decided against getting a hotel but chose to stay at her temple. That day, she stayed in Rei's room and watched as she threw away every flower, every card, even the chocolates.

"My fiance, actually..." she finally said.

Rei shrugged her shoulders and sat down in the booth. "How unreliable..."

Raya frowned slightly. She wouldn't go that far...

"Men, they're unreliable... you ask for one thing, and they'll do something completely different."

She couldn't go against that logic. Raya couldn't count how many times she asked Dick to get garlic seasoning from the store and he came back with beer and a new game, forgetting about the request completely or getting "garlic salt" rather than plain ole garlic. Men didn't listen, and Damian was slowly becoming like his mentor and his father alike. "But when they wanna be sweet, they can bring the biggest smile to your face."

Rei's eyes softened. "But they're still unreliable."

"I guess James Brown said it right, eh?"

Rei looked over at her and smiled for the first time since she walked in, the sound of a giggle escaping her lips that Raya couldn't mistake for any other sound. "Yes, I guess so."

Raya pursed her lips playfully. "Which part was he right about?" Partially breaking the ice and the other part wanting to know what she was talking about, she eyed the Asian woman with a slight smirk.

The priestess looked around, her face slightly red, then once seeing the coast was clear, she sighed and then sung in a soft voice, "It's a man's world... but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl."

Raya didn't have the heart to tell her that she didn't need to sing. But still, it was adorable and somewhat strange to see the expression on her face. The girl she'd met those three times before had been completely different from the woman standing before her. When people spoke of Rei, they spoke of beauty and exotic with a sixth sense, a girl aloof and cold, a person so distant that she was impossible to touch.

But sitting across from her, Raya could see a person who'd changed. Someone who, like herself, had found family beyond the curse of a father they'd been given. Even so, she couldn't remember why she had chosen to meet with Rei for the fourth time in her life. There'd obviously been something that happened years ago that made her want to see her once more.

The moment that Dick proposed to her, the first thing she thought about was the young violet eyed girl from when she was a child, a girl that she'd never forgotten. Raya had quickly told Bruce that she wanted him to set up a meeting with her, and it seemed so important at that moment.

She was sure that it was more than just about proving to her that happiness was possible. Anybody who'd seen Oprah or Dr. Phil knew that.

"May I take your orders?"

Rei didn't attempt to look to answer. She was apparently waiting for Raya to make the decision. "Um, yes, please..."

The quiet one nodded.

"Would you like to start with something to drink first? -I can give you more time to look at your menu for food." The waitress smiled professionally.

Raya stared at the smile and shook her head. "I'm ready to order my lunch also." Peeking over at the priestess, she asked, "Is that okay with you?"

"That's fine."

The American girl tried to decipher her expression but found herself thinking Alfred had a rival in making himself impossible to read.

Rei started giving her order first, but Raya found herself watching the waitress with waning interest. Her eyes focused on the professional smile, and for some reason, she felt as it was God's way of giving her a sign to remember why this meeting had been so important.

_Zzsst... Zzsst... _Raya's phone vibrated on the counter. She watched it anxiously, half wondering if excusing herself to answer the text message or calling Damian would be considered rude.

"Kean-san..." Rei said softly, her expression confused. "Weren't you waiting on that call?"

Raya nodded but awkwardly sat still, her mind on more things than she could count. The professional smile, the mysterious reason that she'd invited Rei on this lunch date, which fan fiction Damian was possibly reading and a few random thoughts that she wished to get rid of.

Trying to rebreak the ice that Raya had so successfully broken earlier then built up again, Rei put her hand out as if asking her to allow her to see her hand. Raya obliged and pulled out her ring hand while awkwardly allowing the other girl admire her ring.

"Is Jason your fiance?"

"No, why'd you say that?"

Rei shrugged.

Raya looked at her expression. As a psychologist, she understood that look. Rei hadn't been awkwardly admiring her ring, no, she was judging the jewelry on her finger. Eyes narrowed, "Dick proposed to me."

Eyes widened, the girl frowned, "I'd think an entertainer would want to be a little more flashy... when's he getting a diamond for the ring?"

Raya's heart raced. She couldn't see the diamond? Of course, in his listening to her idea of wanting everything to be modest, Dick thought sprinkling diamond dust on the gold would make himself feel better for buying a hundredth of a whole karat sized diamond. For someone else, they'd probably been upset with a diamond that could fit under their nail, but to her, it was so romantic.

However, she couldn't say that she wasn't just a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I like it."

Rei let go of her hand, a sly expression on her face, surely a joke in that head of her's though Raya would probably never hear it.

_Zzsst... Zzsst... _

"_**New Text Message: Baby Imp Dami" **_

_Damian..._

_**[We need Fenix's help. It'd be awesome if you can cut your dinner short.] **_Raya could hear Dick through the earpiece provided by the Justice League. His voice sounded urgent, very different than earlier. How was she going to get out of this one? And would it still be showing urgency in her actions in checking her text message from Damian?

She looked around, wondering if Bruce had the place bugged before agreeing to join her in seeing his goddaughter.

_**[They have Damian, and they're coming your way.]**_

Raya stiffened. This dinner was over. No one messed up with her little impish birdie. To her surprise, she saw Rei putting money down on the table at the same time that she was.

"Sorry, can I have a rain check on this?" the two girls spoke in unison.

"Oh, sure... is everything okay?"

"Yeah." The two girls held their stomach as the waitress came with the drinks. "I just have..." They both stopped and looked at each other with amused faces.

Raya decided to throw out the knockout punch in this excuse that no person ever questioned.

But as she began speaking, so did Rei, and once again, in unison, they said: "I just have diarrhea."

_Liar._

"Are you both-"

Raya hadn't even bothered listening to the question before running off.

Having caught up to where Batman and Nightwing stood, Fenix ran forward but stopped. Underneath them, she saw Rei... no, that was Sailor Mars.

"How long has she been in a standoff with that creature?" she asked.

To her surprise, it was Batman who responded. "She got here just a few minutes before you." Fenix looked around, trying to figure out the landscape and also where Damian was being held up. Unfortunately, the latter was impossible, but the silence between the two of them made her more nervous than it comforted her.

"Well, why aren't you helping her?"

"Because that creature is Damian, my son."

**Author's Note:**

So, apparently, I cannot make a one-shot. This will be a two-shot story.

Please review and lemme know how you enjoy or how I can improve the story.

Thanks!

Until Next Time,

Neo


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

_Thanks for the reviews. They were all so wonderful. I am actually making this a three-parter. _

_This is my first time writing a comedy fic, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it._

_Enjoy and please review at the end._

_Thanks,_

_Neo_

_Onto The Story:_

_How unreliable... _Raya flashed back to what Rei had said earlier in the diner and scowled. Walking forward, she pulled her fiance's shoulder back and stood on the ledge of the rooftop of the building. A twitch developed over her brow that she couldn't stop.

"Fenix," the hoarse voice of Batman came from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know that his face matched her own, his eyes possibly throwing daggers and his lips like a baby about to cry. The look would scare even a demon, but she'd grown accustomed to it. "We have to figure out..."

"Now I understand why..." Raya interrupted, her eyes not once leaving the 'monster' below her, her baby bird.

"Rae, you understand what?" One of them had said, but her mind was so far gone, their voices sounded like the same person.

"I understand why Lifetime movies are only about the mothers who would do anything to save their babies." Raya turned to the two of them; she was sure that they could see the confusion in her face. She held her hand over her chest, wondering why she couldn't feel pain in her chest when her baby bird was in trouble.

"We'll find a way to get him back to normal..."

She turned to see Sailor Mars shoot fire towards Damian. Shaking her head, she looked back at Robin and Batman. "You do that. I have other plans." Before either one could reply, she flipped backwards into the battlefield.

"_Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen..."_ Raya couldn't understand what Sailor Mars was saying. She was sure that she heard an element or two then suddenly saw her take out a few papers out of thin air then screamed,_ "Akuryo taisan!"_

Raya's eyes widened_. 'Evil spirit, be gone' _was the one thing was the one thing she understood. This woman was trying to exorcise him. At least, she hoped that was her purpose.

The Damian-monster easily dodged the attack then ran forward with speed that could only be matched by Flash. Mars, however, didn't move but rather closed her eyes as a flash of light got close but then was stopped by what appeared a hundred of those same papers surrounding him.

He froze in place, but he seemed to struggling to get out of an invisible bind.

"Mars Flame!" An arrow of fire came out of nowhere, the violet eyed soldier held it and aimed it at the 'monster!'

"Stop!" Fenix screamed out, throwing a stolen batarang at the other woman's wrist. Unsurprisingly, she dodged it and caught it on its way back then looked back at the woman who'd thrown the weapon.

Sailor Mars didn't say a word, just crossed her arms as if to say that she needed an explanation.

"That's just a boy!" Fenix screamed, "He's just a little boy... you can't kill him."

Mars frowned slightly and looked at the monster then at her. "So, Sailor Moon didn't send you in her place?"

Fenix furrowed her brows. _Does she even care about what I said? _"Unfortunately not."

Sighing, Mars looked back at the monster again, her expression softening then growing into confusion. "You sure he's not a monster?"

"That boy is important to me." Raya confirmed.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

There was silence. Raya could mentally place this in her diary as the most awkward moment in her entire life as a hero.

"Is your name Fenix?"

"Y-yea..." _What does this have to do with anything? _

"Oh... Hi."

Raya's fist tightened, annoyed and mentally crossing out the idea that Sailor Mars and Rei Hino were one and the same, leaving Clark and Connor as the only two heroes who considered changing clothes to be a good enough disguise. "You realize that we're in an important fight, right?"

Mars scratched her head. "Yes." She looked back at the monster, her expression serious and slightly annoyed but turned and smiled the most unrefined grin she'd ever seen. _Definitely not Rei. Not even a little bit._

"Then why would you..."

"Mercury says I need to work on my social skills with other heroes."

"Oh... that makes sense." _I say the same thing to Bruce all the time.. and Damian. And Tim... Now, I'm glad they don't listen._

Mars nodded, but she looked as confused as Raya felt.

"Slash attack!" Raya turned to the Damian-monster and saw a wave of white energy shooting towards her, the sound of men's girly laughter and grunts getting closer as the attack got closer. The ground quaked and she could hear the wind cracking against it.

Instinctively, Raya threw her arms up, knowing it was all over.

She could hear screams, but they all sounded filtered.

'Fenix!'

'Fenix!'

Everything went black.

_**20 Years Ago**_

"Why did you come back for me?" Raya asked the dark-haired teen. She'd told her to escape, but instead, the priestess had come back and risked her life.

Rei sat beside her, staring at her feet and holding her bow and arrows close to her chest. "Grayson-san says that you're a lot stronger than you think you are." she deflected.

_What does that idiot know? _Raya scowled. What was he doing talking to Rei about her anyways? She didn't need some stupid girl thinking she knew her. As if she didn't have enough people pulling her strings. Everyone claimed to know what was best for her, acted like she had to this to be able to get that, but she was no one's puppet. Not her uncle's, not Dick's, not Barbara, and definitely not this wannabe psychic girl.

"But I think he's wrong..."

Raya stood up, feeling heat behind her eyes, infuriated with the girl before her. She watched as Rei nonchalantly got up after her, barely fazed after saying something so crude.

"I think you're perfect."

Raya's eyes narrowed. She couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or genuine, but the latter was becoming less and less likely after seeing how the girl was barely taking the time to explain herself.

"You're perfectly broken," Rei finally said, looking away. "I guess that's what makes you fit into Wayne-san and his son's world so well. You're so perfectly broken, but every piece is there, and right now, you can either be glued back together..."

Raya froze, listening.

"You can be ripped apart, but you can also be rebuilt from the ground up."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

Rei sighed. "You're a phoenix."

"A-a what?"

"The phoenix will live on forever - no matter how many times the flames are put out. You will come out stronger and you'll fight harder."

Raya scowled, stretching her fist out. "You coulda started with that first, yanno?" This girl was just so weird.

Rei smiled slightly. "Yeah, but then I wouldn't have caught your attention."

"So I'm a Phoenix, eh?"

_**Present Day**_

Dust crowded her senses, and she could feel moisture underneath her. Looking up, Raya saw Batman covering her, his arm cut deep. "Why don't you ever listen?" Blood was dripping down onto her and into the ground.

"W-why would you?" Raya quickly caught her composure then grinned, "Like father, like faux-daughter.."

Bruce smirked. "Sheesh, between you and Dick..."

"Besides," Raya said, silently watching his wound, wondering how bad it was and trying to keep him calm and make sure he wasn't losing too much blood, she added, "Why should I listen when you don't?"

The sound of the wave came forth like the boom of a bomb, but this time, she was sure they wouldn't be so lucky to live.

"Mars Crystal Power!" Sailor Mars screamed out, her entire body glowing red as she stood in front of them, holding the attack back. Her energy created a barrier of heat around them. Then, without saying a word, she threw the older man on her shoulder and ran off into the alleyway.

Raya, seeing him being moved, quickly followed after Mars.

The girl was quick for someone running in red high heels that would make a prostitute trip over their own feet.

"Fenix," Sailor Mars said, her posture nothing like the awkward woman she'd seen before. "I need to fight this monster my way."

"There is a boy in there..."

Mars scowled. "I'm well-aware, but he's on a time limit also." Her violet eyes stared coldly into the Fenix. "The creature that has taken over him hasn't completely possessed him, but it will if I have to fight against you and him."

Raya felt her knees weaken underneath her. "How did it happen?"

"He's a monster created through a demon that was stalking innocent hearts through fanfiction."

Raya quirked an eyebrow. How did she say that with a serious face? A fanfiction monster? How could that ever be a thing?

"So that slash attac-" Fenix looked up only to see Mars had already left. "Freaking brilliant... even Sailor Mars disappears before people finish talking."

A fanfiction monster, a hurt Batman, a girl that was more confusing than Damian, Raya could, at least, tell the Teen Titans an interesting story after this was over. Crouching beside Batman, she saw the alley way had been covered by those papers that she'd seen the sailor soldier using earlier.

She lifted his arm, only to find that he'd been crudely wrapped. "Bruce, I'll bring Damian back, I promise," she whispered and hugged the unconscious man.

Fenix scaled the walls, taking a distant approach. Bruce was right despite her need to get down and dirty quick and finish the mission quickly; it wasn't the right approach. She needed to figure out his weakness in this strange form and work it from there. Maybe, Mars was wrong, and Dick could create a medicinal way to get it out.

Mars could do her thing, sure, but Fenix was going to do things her way also.

She filled her hands with tranquilizers, and guessing by the size of the thing, she'd probably need more but for now, this was gonna do. Running rooftop to rooftop, she could see her fiance from the distance. He had a plan, she could tell. Now to see whose plan would work faster.

Fenix jumped off the building, throwing all ten tranquilizers through the air and into her target.

Fanfiction Monster turned around, twisting his arm in front of him, the needles landing perfectly.

"Ooh, you think you know this plot, don't cha?" An effeminate voice shot forth.

"Keep your attention on me!" Mars screamed.

"Sure thing..." it said then suddenly a copy of himself came from him and faced his attention towards the monster. "Only if you like whump!"

Raya scratched the back of her head. "Nobody likes that smut."

"Oh really?" The fanfiction monster roared angrily as he began to make a strange gassy sound, somewhere between a fart and a wave. "WHUMP ATTACK!" The copy of him began to dance with himself, both thrusting their pelvises towards one another, a chain forming from the air and connected to both their wrist.

Fenix ran forward and watched as Mars did the same thing from the other side. Before either could get close, the chains moved outward and slammed into both their bodies, grabbing onto Fenix and flinging her upward.

Fenix screamed as she turned her body in the air, seeing the chain coming forward, aiming for her stomach but before it could hit, Nightwing caught onto her and moved her out of the way.

"Rae, you should really be more careful."

Fenix nodded, not listening. "Was Damian reading a whump/slash fic about you before he got possessed?"

Dick's face turned red. "I thought you blocked that shit."

"Oh like you can talk..."

Dick frowned. "Well, at least, I'm always the man in the relationships."

"Are you serious?" Raya knitted her eyebrows. This was definitely something she needed to know about before they got married. He actually read the stories about himself.

"There was this one about Batgirl and Fenix..."

Raya jumped back into the battlefield. This wasn't a conversation she was ready to discuss. She was sure Crane's going after the Inceptive potion was less scary than what she'd learn about her fiance so close to their wedding day.

"Slash..." Raya was watching the fanfiction monster closely this time, seeing his pelvis extend and go into a strange club beat . "Attack."

This time, she quickly dodged it. Like the fics, she figured the attack only had one purpose. Go straight but also get nowhere. The attack apparently was strong like she'd seen many have a strong following but the stories often went nowhere and as such, the attack also went so many feet only to fade in the air.

"Mars, I figured out his attack pattern."

"You.. did what?"

"Whump attack!" Fenix threw out every batarang she'd stolen from Dick's stolen collection to hit every chain being thrown out.

"Alternative Universe Mist!"

A gray mist covered the entire ground, smoking coming up from a few places. She didn't see this attack coming... or was this a defensive attack? If his attacks were based off a story he read, she could assume that every chapter had an author's note, probably used to defend why people were out of character. It was probably used as a reason to explain people's sexuality in the fic or just because they felt going 'AU' could mean that the rules go out the window.

Of course, those were just her presumptions. Where were Nightwing and Sailor Mars? Was it possible that she'd been sent to another world? This wasn't in her calculations when she had begun to figure everything out.

"Nightwing! Batman!" She called out. Nothing.

She called out once more, and no one answered. She walked for a little bit, but it felt as if the world was going nowhere.

"Raya Kean!" She felt her entire body go cold. That voice... it was so familiar. So nostalgic.

But it was impossible. That person was long gone. "Mommy?"

The fog disappeared, and before her stood a person she'd long known was gone. Her eyes seemed kind, and her posture was inviting. "Mr. Wayne said you'd been having nightmares again. Is that true?"

The nightmares had long stopped. Bruce and her uncle chased those away long ago.

Raya stayed silent.

"I'm so sorry... so sorry..."

The woman reached out her hand and touched her face. Raya shivered, remembering the last time she'd seen her mother, the blood on her face, her hair ripped out of her scalp and her face mangled by the fist of the man she married.

Tears slid down the woman's cheek. "Raya Kean-Berkeley, stay with me."

"Bruce needs me."

"You'll never hurt again, Raya... stay with me."

"Damian will have no one who can..."

Raya's mother hugged onto her. "I'm lonely."

"And Dick..."

"Raya, please, you'll find greater happiness here with me. I'll stop the nightmares. I will keep you warm. You can find a new baby birdie."

Raya's eyes widened, shock filled her, and fear shrouded her soul.

"Stay with me."


End file.
